And stringing



the same; Fig. 3,

7 UNITED STATES @PATENT Orrrce.

NOAH BENNETT, OF SHERMAN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR CORING, SLICING, AND STRINGING APPLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,149, dated June 1'2, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOAH BENNETT, ofSherman, in the county ot' Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Cutting, Coriug, and Stringing Apples, Src.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ot' this specication.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a perspective view of the cutting, coring, and Stringing device. Fig. 4 is a similar View of a device for simply quartering and coring the apples;` Fig. 5, a similar View of a slicing and coring device; Fig. 6, a diagram representing the manner ot' strin ging the quarters of the apples.

Like letters of reference indicate correspon ding parts in all the figures.

The object'of my improvement is to cut, core, and string the apples at one operation; and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the device proper for that purpose and the piston or follower that presses the apple down.

As represented in the drawings, a suitable bed-plate, A, is employed, to which is secured a standard, B, that sustains the actuating parts.

In operation the machine may be attached to the leaf of a table, or any other projecting part, by means of a set-screw, a, as represented in Fig. 2. p

At a proper position, to the standard B is connected a fnlcrum-arm, b, which has jointed to its upper end a lever or handle, C. With this lever is connected a piston or follower rod, d, passing down through bearingfot' the standard, and having secured on its lower end a piston composed of a head, g, for pressing the apple down, provided with a projection, h, of suitable size and length, which in turn has a point, i. A spring, la, connects the lever with the standard B, as shown,the object ot' which is to hold the lever up when raised, so as to leave the hands of the operator free to insert the apples under the piston and to arrange the quarters on the strings, as will presently be described.

l Under the piston or follower above described is a circular hole, l, made in the bed-plate A, of suitable size to allow the passage through it of the largestsized fruit it may be desirable to cut. The periphery of this opening is provided with grooves or slits m m, Fig. l, in which rest the win gs ofthe devices for cutting, corin g, and Stringing the apples.

Y For the combined purpose ot cutting, coring, and Stringing the device represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is employed, the same consisting of a sharp-edged central tube, D, of suitable size to cut out the core ot the apple, four or more win gs, n n, for quartering or cutting into pieces, and intermediate knives,pp, for Stringing. The latter project but a little distance from the central coring-tube, and are preferably made of rightangular or other equivalent angular form, as represented. At the bottom of these knives, in the bent portion thereof, are made small holes o o, in which are tied strings q q, on which the apples are strung. For quartering or slicing the same device is used, excepting that the stringing-knivesp are left oft".

Fig. 4 represents a device with four wings,- for coring and quartering, and Fig. 5 represents a greater number of wings, for coring and slicing.

In coring and quartering or slicing simply, in order to prevent the cores and the pieces of apple from mingling as they escape from the machine, which catches the pieces as they fall, while the cores are forced out of the tube beneath.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The lever is raised,.as shown, and the apple placed upon the cutting device beneath the piston and with its stem downward in the tube. The lever is then depressed, and the point holds the apple centrally, While the head g forces it down, the tube D taking out the core, While the wings n n divide it into quarters or slices. At the same time, in Stringing, the quarters or pieces fr pass down over the knives p p and on the strings q q, as represen ted in the diagram,Fig. 6. It Will be noticedthat theknives do not divide the pieces of apple, but merely cut an angular slit in the same, which immediately closes. It will alsobe noticed that the string rests in the turn of the angle of the slit thus produced, so that there is no possibility a trough, G, Fig. 4, is employed,

of its getting out unless the piece is torn off. l when depressed, shuts down Withinthe tube In this manner the pieces are as securely held as those strung in the usual manner by hand, for the tendency of the pieces of apple is to close up in this direction as they dry. It is only necessary to force the pieces down on the strings by the hand as they are deposited thereon, which can be done rapidly and without difficulty while the operation is being carried on.

The piston head g It i has a particular combination and relation with the cutting and coring device, for in order to allow the stein ot' the next succeeding apple to be placed in the tube D preparatory to being cut, after one has already been cut,'it is necessary that the core already in the tube should be forced down a litt-le distance below the top of the tube. This is accomplished by the projection h, which,

D, and forces the core below the surface so as to make room. l,

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination and arrangement ofthe pistou or follower, raised by a spring and coinposed of a driving-head g, core-depressing projection h, and centering point t', with the cutting, coring, and stringiug device, all substantially as herein specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NOAH BENNETT.

Witnesses:

GYRENUs RIPLEY, WILLIAM S. WEsTLEY. 

